[eestrada001]

I restarted my system and at start up my sound did stop working at all. I used a Sound Blaster Live card, the card works just fine, I bought another card just to try it out, and it does not work either. In the device manager it shows an acclamation yellow mark and it tells me: "Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)"
"
I tried unistalling the device and installing it again, rebooting, tried switching both devices, repairing the directories, everything and still wont work.

PLEASE HELP!!!

[Advertisements]

Try uninstalling the drivers, then shut down, AND unplug the computer from the wall. Remove the card. Then connect power and boot into Windows. You should see no device in Device Manager. Then follow the instructions from the sound card maker to install the new card and drivers. Some want the drivers before the card is installed and some after.

The point with unplugging is to remove the +5Vsb standby voltage all ATX power supplies are required to apply across multiple points on the motherboard, including the PCI bus, whenever the PSU is plugged in. Removing this voltage ensures all settings are freed up.

Also, installing the card (even the SB) in a different PCI slot forces Windows to reset driver settings, including interrupts. Doing just that may help but make sure you unplug first. And as always, touch bare metal of the case before touch anything to ensure no static from your body causes damage from static discharge.

(Note, if your PSU has a master power switch on the back, you can set that to off instead of unplugging).

[Digerati]

Try uninstalling the drivers, then shut down, AND unplug the computer from the wall. Remove the card. Then connect power and boot into Windows. You should see no device in Device Manager. Then follow the instructions from the sound card maker to install the new card and drivers. Some want the drivers before the card is installed and some after.

The point with unplugging is to remove the +5Vsb standby voltage all ATX power supplies are required to apply across multiple points on the motherboard, including the PCI bus, whenever the PSU is plugged in. Removing this voltage ensures all settings are freed up.

Also, installing the card (even the SB) in a different PCI slot forces Windows to reset driver settings, including interrupts. Doing just that may help but make sure you unplug first. And as always, touch bare metal of the case before touch anything to ensure no static from your body causes damage from static discharge.

(Note, if your PSU has a master power switch on the back, you can set that to off instead of unplugging).

[eestrada001]

I am working on your suggestion right now. Thanks. Will post the result.

[Digerati]

Good luck.

[eestrada001]

Digerati, it did not work. I tried exactly as you explained. Could it be the motherboard? I changed the PCI slot as well. Nothing works. I am still without sound.

Anyone has an idea?

[Digerati]

Are you still showing errors in Device Manager?

[eestrada001]

Yes, same error: Code 39, unable to load driver, corrupt or missing drivers...

[Digerati]

That typically means the driver or Registry settings for the sound are messed up. Let's back up a bit and see what we are dealing with. Please list your hardware, version of Windows, and a little more history, like when did this problem start and any other problems you might have. Unfortunately, I have a busy day ahead so I may not be able to respond - hopefully someone else will step in.

[eestrada001]

Windows XP service pack 3, 1GB RAM, 2 internal HD (80 and 120 GB), 1 external (USB) HD, 2 DVD RW Internal Drives, No 3.5" diskette (eliminated some time back). I have been having some shut down problems, reported a disk error in a bad sector, sometimes it reports it, when I run chkdsk it sometimes finds it and fixes it, sometimes it dos not show errors, and then one day computer shuts down and shows error again.

Another problem I had before is that I bought a PATA (EIDE) 500GB HD for it, and when installed it dit not recognize but 160GB, I could never understand why.

ALso, most times at startup it shows the message that the fan had power problems, changed the fan, the PSU for a 450 (not the original Dell, but a replacement, about 2 years ago). I have had to format HDs and reinstall Windows about 3 times within the last 3 years, it runs slow and gets to a point where it starts acting up.

This audio problem happened one day without any other sign or problem, just turned the computer on and had no sound, when checked device manager it showed the error code 39.

[Digerati]

When there are lots of odd problems, I suspect the PSU. Your 450 may be bad too. If you have to keep running chkdsk, that's a bad sign. Hard crashes can cause data corruption, but a failing HD will too.

[dcloud]

Hi eestrada,

If you need to buy a new PSU I would recommend one made by PC Power & Cooling. This is the one I bought when I built my current PC. This brand was recommended to me by the folks over at the Overclock forums and it's been the best PSU I've ever owned. It's an extremely rugged and dependable PSU made by a long-established and very reputable company. I have had mine now for about four years and it's handled everything I've got in my case with never a hiccup.

Edited by dcloud, 18 May 2010 - 10:35 PM.

[Digerati]

There are lots of good PSU brands (and many more not so good) and most definitely, you need to "invest" in a quality PSU. Here's my canned text on sizing and selecting a PSU.

Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your minimum power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. I recommend setting Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if you participate in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home) or extreme 3D animated gaming, I recommend setting both TDP and system load to 100%. These steps ensure the supply has adequate head room for stress free (and perhaps quieter) operation, and future hardware demands. Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

• Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,
• Efficiency,
• Total wattage.

Don’t try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply! Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. Look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Note that some case retailers “toss in” a generic or inadequate PSU just to make the case sale. Be prepared to “toss out” that supply for a good one with sufficient power.

Most PSUs have an efficiency rating of around 70%. This means for every 100 watts of power a PSU draws from the wall, only 70 watts is delivered to the motherboard, with the rest wasted in the form of heat. The best supplies are 85 to 90% efficient, and as expected, cost more. I strongly recommend you pick a quality supply with an efficiency rating equal to or greater than 80%. Look for [url="http://<a%20href="http://www.80plus.org/manu/psu/psu_join.aspx"%20target="_blank">http://www.80plus.or...u_join.aspx</a>"]80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant[/url] labels.

Too big of a PSU hurts nothing but your budget. Your computer will draw from the PSU only what it needs, not what the PSU is capable of delivering. If a computer needs 300 watts it will draw 300 watts regardless if the PSU is a 350W, 650W, or 1000W PSU. In turn, the PSU, regardless its size will draw from the wall only what it needs to support the computer. In this example, it will draw 300 watts, plus another 45 – 90 watts, depending on the PSU’s inefficiency.

As noted, the eXtreme Calculator determines the minimum requirements. If the calculator (with the changes I suggested) recommends a 400 watt minimum, a quality 400W supply will serve you just fine. But a quality 550W – 600W supply will have, among other things, larger heat sinks to dissipate potentially more heat. It might have a larger fan too. The 400W supply will run most of the time closer to capacity, while the larger supply will be loafing along, rarely breaking a sweat. To help the smaller heat sinks get rid of the wasted 80 watts (20% of 400) of heat, the fan in the 400W supply may need to run full speed, while the fan in the larger supply, with bigger sinks just loafs along too – but in near silence.

Don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation). Surge and spike protectors are inadequate.

[eestrada001]

Hello again. Well, I tried everything and nothing seemed to work. I installed a new windows and its no working, only I have to transfer everything from my older drive to the new hard disk. I think that what happens is that the hard disk is not working well.

I do have a PC Power & Colling PSU, a Silencer 410, according to the calculator I should be fine with 350 watts, I have more than 400 watts but it still seems to be failing, could it be that the PSU died on me already

I wanted to clone the crive using the Western Digital utility tool, but I am wondering if I should since the hard drive is bad and is giving me so many problems??

Thanks for the help and assistance.